How will the UK build the workforce for clean energy Britain?
On Wednesday 14 May, the ESNZ Committee will question joint DESNZ and DBT minister Sarah Jones on the Government’s strategy to address what has been described in evidence as a national “skills crisis”. In this final session of the Workforce planning to deliver clean, secure energy inquiry, the Committee will examine the impact of skills shortfalls on the energy transition and plans to decarbonise buildings across the UK.
While estimates vary on the skills needed and jobs that could be created, the UK requires a rapid and lasting transformation of the construction sector: industry-wide investment in skills, far-reaching skills reform, and an ‘unprecedented’ recruitment and upskilling drive.
Upgrading existing buildings to reduce energy demand would require a 13% increase in the current workforce. A well-organised home retrofit programme in England could create over 400,000 direct jobs and 500,000 indirect jobs by 2030. By 2050, this could rise to more than 1.2 million direct jobs and 1.5 million indirect jobs.
To meet the target of 50GW of offshore wind, the current offshore wind workforce of 32,000 must increase to more than 100,000 by 2030. Large numbers of workers will need to be trained or retrained.
Meeting details
One of the key themes emerging in the inquiry is the need for a national workforce strategy, particularly to meet major housing and infrastructure needs. However, significant questions remain about who will fund and deliver professional skills training. Co-ordinating this at local and regional level, across the wide range of sectors involved—while the Government’s target timeline continues to tick down—is a major challenge. The Committee will explore how far the Government understands the scale of these risks and what approaches it is developing. Can it create whole “green career” pathways, from education and skills training through to the workplace?
As in many sectors, there is a difficult balance to strike between the urgent need to fill roles and skills gaps in the short term—often with overseas labour as the only immediate option—and the need to build a sustainable domestic skills base, particularly in the construction and retrofit sectors.